Saabira Chaudhuri
Journalist
and author
I'm Saabira Chaudhuri, a London-based journalist and the author of Consumed - How Big Brands Got Us Hooked on Plastic. I frequently write about corporate strategy, sustainability, plastics, environmental regulation and consumer culture. My work has recently been published in outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Bloomberg, The New Scientist, Wired, The Times of India, FastCompany.com, Forbes, The Hindu and Business Insider.
I spent 12 years as a staff reporter for The Wall Street Journal in London and New York, stepping down in May 2025 to go freelance. Before that I worked on staff for Dow Jones newswires, Forbes magazine, Mint (the New Delhi-based business newspaper) and Fastcompany.com in various editing, multimedia and reporting roles.
I'm hugely interested in the intersection of big business and sustainability, as well as the tradeoffs involved in tackling waste, biodiversity, emissions and human health -- areas I regularly write and think about. Consumed is my first book. It was born out of years of my reporting on consumer goods companies' increasingly difficult relationship with plastic and was published by Bonnier Books in May 2025. It was named one of the Financial Times's Best Books of 2025, longlisted for the FT & Schroder's Business Book of the Year Award and shortlisted for the SABEW Best Business Book of the Year Award. While I'm really proud of the book, in retrospect I'm even prouder that I researched and wrote it while juggling two babies under the age of two on maternity leave and around my full-time job at WSJ. It's a feat that upon finishing immediately felt impossible, even to me.
I grew up in Bangalore and still return there as much as I can. I got my BA in sociology from Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts, sticking it out despite being persistently homesick! I spent a very fun year abroad studying law and sociology at the London School of Economics and pulling pints at The George on the Strand. I was later awarded the Wall Street Journal's fully-funded Asia fellowship to New York University -- given to one journalist in Asia each year -- where I earned an MA in Business and Economic Reporting.
In addition to being a journalist, I also advise companies and nonprofits on content strategy, and speak about my work at conferences and events. I believe in the power of storytelling to surface new evidence, challenge assumptions, and drive social and regulatory change. If you think I could be helpful please get in touch.